Forever Kindred Spirits

An ear-splitting jolt accompanied the tremor. With her heart thumping against her ribs, Mei scampered out of bed after being startled awake. Books fell off the shelves and photos clattered on the floor as her apartment rocked dangerously. Even more terrifying was the fact that the emergency earthquake alert was making an ear-piercing racket.

About sixty seconds. The earth swung around on its axis because of that. In the span of sixty seconds, her formerly cozy room became a veritable nightmare. The air was filled with swirling dust motes, their eerie brightness intensified by the flickering emergency light.

Mei watched the city lights dim and flicker through the window. A symphony of blaring car alarms and terrified cries resounded from the street below, drowning out the usual steady hum of traffic. Her bare feet landed on shards of broken glass as she lurched towards the entryway.

She arrived at the entrance and saw her neighbor, Ah-Cheng, standing there. His mother, who was hunched over on the floor, holding a faded photo album, looked worried when he checked on her. Normally, his face would be smiling.

"Is everyone alright?" With a raspy voice, Mei inquired.

Ah-Cheng grimaced and nodded. There were only minor injuries. You?"

Mei said, "Fine," as she denied feeling the searing agony in her ankle.

Collaboratively, they assisted Ah-Cheng's mother in standing up and descended the shaky stairs. The outside world seemed otherworldly. The normally busy street was a scene of broken glass and twisted metal. Vehicles sat at various angles, their alarms continuously beeping.

Facial expressions were pallid and drawn as they walked about, checking on their neighbors and taking stock of the damage. There was an anxious intensity in the air, broken only by the infrequent aftershock that shook the very foundations of the earth.

Mei noticed a young couple gathered around a toppled lamppost, with the mother holding a distressed infant. With words of consolation and a bottle of water she had magically retrieved from a neighboring convenience store, she hurried over.

A flurry of action ensued for the following several hours. The island was seen in a horrific light when news stories were broadcasted live on cellphones. Roads were blocked, buildings had crumbled, and fallen power lines and debris made rescue efforts difficult.

In order to clear the roadway of trash and make room for emergency vehicles, Mei, Ah-Cheng, and a number of other neighbors pitched in. As a modest gesture of compassion in the midst of such tragedy, they distributed food and drink to the wounded and the homeless.

A peculiar feeling of unity emerged as the sun eventually came up, lighting up the wounded metropolis with a faint light. Strangers become neighbors after sharing tales of overcoming adversity. A sense of togetherness emerged from the midst of apprehension and doubt.

After a few days, weeks, and a faint vibration in everyone's memories, the aftershocks finally subsided. Buildings that had collapsed were replaced by cranes, and the continual buzz of construction proved the city's resolve as it started the long path to recovery.

As construction crews worked to restore her apartment building, Mei observed from her balcony. Even if it was slightly damaged, the view of the city was still there. A new power, meanwhile, pulsed beneath the wounds; the strength of a society that had persevered through the storm and come out stronger, linked indelibly by the shared terror of those sixty horrific seconds.